Phlebotomus papatasi

Female Phlebotomus sandfly. Female sandflies, but not males, bite mammals to feed on their blood. (Photographed by R. Killick-Kendrick)

The sandfly Phlebotomus papatasi is of particular interest as it plays akey role in a number of diseases that affect humans. These include viral infectionsthat cause episodic fevers and, perhaps best-known, a form of the parasitic disease leishmaniasis that causes skin ulcers in humans.

Female sandflies transmit the disease-causing pathogensfrom infected animals to people via their bite, when they feed on blood.

According to the World Health Organisation, there are 1.5 million new cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis each year, mostly in tropical countries.

Discover where Phlebotomus papatasi is known from and learn about its common habitats and how these relate to epidemics of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis. Find out about the dispersal of the species.

The great gerbil, Rhombomys opimus, is a reservoir host for Leishmania parasites which cause cutaneous leishmaniasis in humans. Adult Phlebotomus papatasi sandflies are adbundant in and around the burrows of these rodents.